Vehicle suspension systems include, among other things, suspension members, which may rotate, be displaced, or remain fixed in response to forces applied to their free ends (i.e., attachment points). The free ends of each suspension member are, for example, generally coupled to other components or assemblies of the vehicle and may allow the rotation and/or displacement of the suspension member as, for example, a wheel associated with the member travels over an uneven surface. The free ends can also allow the suspension member to remain fixed while holding an object in position, such as, for example, an engine of the vehicle. Suspension members may, however, also experience vibrations at their free ends, which are caused by the movement and operation of the components and assemblies to which they are coupled.
Accordingly, suspension members may generally include bushings, or isolation features, at their free ends, which are configured to dampen such vibrations and prevent them from being transmitted through the suspension member. The design and tuning of such bushings, however, is typically limited by the package constraints of the suspension system and the durability requirements imposed by such constraints (i.e., by the limited bushing volume).
It may, therefore, be desirable to provide isolation features for suspension members that are relatively unhindered by package space constraints, thereby increasing the design options for such features, while also improving their durability.